In yet another move meant to weaken William Ruto’s hold on Mount Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta is identifying a new team to drive his 2022 succession agenda. The president, insiders revealed, has mapped out the region into clusters where he has identified popular faces from the clusters to drive his agenda. The last time Uhuru zoned the country was prior to the 2017 general election where more financial resources from his campaign kitty were channeled to regions considered swing votes to sway the voters to his side.
The new arrangement, insiders revealed, borrows heavily from Kisii where Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i has been picked as the regional kingpin to fill the void left by ailing Simeon Nyachae and has successfully managed to scuttle Ruto’s hold on the area’s politics. The Interior CS has already got the endorsement of nine MPs as the Gusii spokesman to push for the interests of the community. The nine legislators are Josh Nyamoko (North Mugirango), Vincent Kemosi (West Mugirango), Ben Momanyi (Borabu), Alfa Miruka (Bomachoge Chache), Richard Tong’i (Nyaribari Chache), Shadrack Mose (Kitutu Masaba), Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache North), Samuel Arama (Nakuru West) and Jerusha Momanyi (Nyamira women rep).
In Mount Kenya region, Uhuru has picked a new team led by Health cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe to take over from the technocrats and bureaucrats he had picked to galvanise his waning support but failed as most of them were advancing their personal interests. The leaders Uhuru had picked who included cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, parastatal heads and elders had started crafting his succession by convening meetings as part of what they referred to as setting pre-2022 development agenda. They also incorporated others from the academia, civil society, politics, and religion as part of the plan to widen consultations with the core agenda of using development as a tool to destroy the negative politics that were being propagated by a group allied to the deputy president, Tanga Tanga, on the perceived neglect of the region in terms of development. The group that included Peter Kagwanja, Convenor of the Uongozi Forum, held consultative meetings and roped in the Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Association, Mt Kenya Economic Forum headed by former Nyeri county woman representative Priscilla Nyokabi, economist David Ndii and Wainaina Gituro, director of Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat, Jimnah Mbaru, industrialist Chris Kirubi and so-called council of eminent persons Peter Munga, among others.
They also roped in Nyandarua governor Francis Kimemia, Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi and the speaker of the national assembly Justin Muturi in an arrangement that appreciated the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru communities that form the Mt Kenya bloc. But the group hit a dead end after some lawmakers allied to Ruto accused the CSs Peter Munya (then Trade), Sicily Kariuki (then Health), Joe Mucheru (ICT) and a host of principal secretaries of holding secret meetings at La Mada Hotel situated off Thika road to plan how to kill the DP. Ruto even told the president the said leaders met to plot his political downfall and assassination.
Following the claims, Uhuru ordered the DP’s security scaled up and also summoned a meeting at State House attended by Matiang’i, Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai, Interior principal secretary Karanja Kibicho, Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti and National Intelligence Service Director General Philip Kameru to probe the matter. Insiders aver that the president has now settled on the new team headed by Kagwe, whom he has identified as the most ideal Mount Kenya kingpin. Those who have been watching Kagwe’s body language must have noticed he is confident and appear ripe to take over the leadership mantle from Uhuru when the president’s second and final term expires in 2022.
Kagwe’s appointment as Health CS came after he led the Building Bridges Initiative rallies in his native Nyeri county, one of the vote rich counties being eyed by Ruto in his quest for the 2022 presidency. Insiders say to the president schemes to have former Kenya National Congress leader Peter Kenneth shifts his political base to Nairobi permanently. Kenneth, who has been eyeing the Mount Kenya regional kingpin position, contested the city gubernatorial race but lost to Mike Sonko. After defeat, he took a back seat only emerging after tycoons from Murang’a proposed him as the most ideal to succeed Uhuru as the regional kingpin. The tycoons mostly from Murang’a wanted to anoint Kenneth or PK in the region to fill the leadership vacuum among the Kikuyus that had seen Ruto capitalise on. They were of the view time was ripe for Murang’a to produce a Kikuyu national leader after Kiambu (Uhuru) and Nyeri (Kibaki).
But Uhuru advisers now believe Kenneth can comfortably win the Nairobi governor’s seat given that he is likely to also enjoy the backing of ODM leader Raila Odinga. In Nairobi, Kenneth will cater for the interests of the Kikuyu community, more so those from Murang’a who owns most of the commercial and residential buildings besides running key economic sectors such as refreshments, hawking and other businesses. Under Sonko, the city business community has been crying foul over lack of facilities despite heavy taxation.
In the Meru region, Uhuru wants Munya to be the regional kingpin. Insiders say the CS will be prevailed not to challenge Kiraitu Murungi for the gubernatorial seat in 2022 and in return he will be appointed to a powerful position in the next government. Munya was in January moved to the Agriculture docket to replace Mwangi Kiunjuri, a Ruto ally. His elevation was welcomed by Meru leaders as an honour to the community and a vote of confidence towards “a son of Meru on the public performance and dedication to service delivery”.
In Embu, the president has settled on national assembly speaker Justin Muturi as the regional kingpin.Indeed, when Muturi appeared before the Building Bridges Initiative taskforce, he made far-reaching suggestions that many saw the hand of the executive in them. Muturi suggested that parties or coalitions of parties that get the highest number of votes should be forwarding names of presidential and governorship candidates. What raised eyebrows is the fact that the Registrar of Political Parties Anne Nderitu, while appearing before a parliamentary committee made a similar proposal to Muturi. Also in Homa Bay, Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo, a key ally of Raila, in her submission to the BBI task force made similar proposals on mixed-member proportional representation which sent signals that they (Muturi, Nderitu and Millie) were reading from one script prepared by Uhuru and Raila.
Insiders add the Kagwe has been tasked to work with leaders supporting the BBI in Mount Kenya region. Those in this group including governors Anne Waigiru (Kirinyaga), Francis Kimemia (Nyandarua), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi), Kiraitum (Meru), James Nyoro (Kiambu) and Nderitu Muriithi (Laikipia).
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